The Celtics held a players-only meeting in Orlando Tuesday following Marcus Smart‘s comments to the media on Monday night, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (video link).
Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown discussed the team’s fourth-quarter collapse against the Bulls and Smart’s comments after the game, per Woj, who described the meeting as “emotional at times,” and “not a terribly productive meeting — maybe not even beneficial.”
On Monday, Smart was frustrated with Tatum and Brown not passing the ball enough, and he has a point. Through seven games, Tatum is averaging 24.6 shot attempts and just 3.7 assists, while Brown is averaging 20.2 shots and 2.5 assists in six games. Assists aren’t the only indication of passing, but a combined 44.8 shots against only 6.2 assists is not a great ratio for the team’s primary shot creators.
It will be interesting to see whether the meeting re-invigorates or potentially divides the team. The Celtics went 48-24 and made the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago, but struggled with injuries, illnesses, and inconsistency last season. They finished just 36-36 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, so the frustration may be mounting with the poor start to this season.
The Celtics are 3-5 after their 92-79 victory tonight over the Magic.
Players only meetings are just indicative of poor leadership from the coaching staff. I thought the whole point of hiring Udoka was that he could relate to the players better. If the players feel the need to have meetings without his input after only 8 games, then what real purpose does he serve?
Kind of makes you wonder if Stevens really is the smartest guy in the room, “transitioning” out when he did.
I think a lot of people assumed Kyrie was the cancer (I did). Then they assumed Hayward was one too many cooks in the kitchen, that was the problem. Then it was Brad’s voice has got stale.
Now I’m sure it will be Smart’s turn to assume blame for Boston’s woes.
But it’s getting harder and harder to rule out Tatum and Brown as the true sources of dysfunction here.
Kyrie was never the cancer. He was always a Covid
With his 13th century thinking, I always thought of him as the bubonic plague.
@Hiflew
Because in a team sport the players need to be on the same page and be accountable to EACH OTHER. Player only meetings should never be viewed as an indication of whether a coach is or isn’t getting thru to the players. Often, the coach has a rep among the players and sometimes players need to lay into players in a way a coach can’t. Coach is just getting to know these guys. Smart has known them from day one.
@hiflew – could also be carryover from last year. Issue was there but not resolved, and may have gotten worse, thus the meeting and something the coach isn’t aware of because he’s new.
And one this early is not a good sign. It’s not a huge deal deeper into a tough season, but 8 games in under a new coach? Red flag.
Quite obviously, Udoka did not get the pulse of this team in pre-season nor did Stevens clue him in very well. In addition he has not stamped his style and personality on this team or royally effed it up so that the team has no flow especially when things get tighter tough.
hiflew, that reasoning does not hold, if Udoka’s plan was to focus on the two stars. Smart was complaining about the trend Udoka has been putting in place.
Udoka is not an “understanding”-type coach like Willie Green for the Pels. He is a tough guy and not from America originally, but from where the safety net is much smaller and the cost of defeat much greater. That does not necessarily mean tough-guy Smart is more appreciated. Who helps the African gain wealth & power, is the question.
Meeting didn’t have much effect apparently. Brown and Tatum had only 6 assists combined and smart had all of 8 points.
That nucleus just doesn’t work. Something has gotta give
I think the biggest mistake made is that it is much harder to build a team around wings. That is why most championship teams were built around around either point guards or centers. Not that it can’t be done, but it is much more difficult to find someone at the 1 or the 5 than it is to find a scorer. Scorers are a dime a dozen.
LeBron, Kawhi, and Durant all strongly disagree with this take.
With the exception of the 2015 Warriors and 2011 Mavs 12 out of the last 14 champions have had dominant wings.
@Tacocat
4 of those were LBJ teams and he plays more like a PG. The Spurs Tony Parker and Duncan scored more per game than the young Kawhi, Mavs had a HOF caliber PGin Kidd, and as mentioned, the GSW had Draymond, who isn’t offensively dominant but acts as more of a facilitator than Curry. Kobe has always been considered a shooting guard but semantics I guess.
SGS are indeed wings. 2014 Kawhi led the team the championship.
I think the entire conversation here is semantics, IMO
“Wings” in today’s league means …. 85% of the league? How many “true” point guards or old-school bigs are left? Everyone is a wing or a large PG for the most part.
Well yeah, but most wings are NOT LeBron, Kawhi, or Durant. Sure it is easy to build around HOF caliber wings, but I am talking about Jaylen Brown. Besides, Durant had Westbrook and Kawhi had Duncan/Parker when they first started.
I should have stated that it is difficult to build around YOUNG wings. Veteran wings are a different story.
That’s fair.
I agree. But the fact is the vast majority of championship level teams are built around HOF talent, whether it’s Duncan, Kobe, KG, Kawhi, LeBron, Curry or whoever.
I think the issue with Brown/Tatum as a core isn’t their position (or age) as much as they, like most, aren’t looking like future HOF-level talents. Multi-time All Stars, yes, just not generational talents.
I mean, I could throw out Mitch Richmond as an example of why you can’t build around SG’s but we all know another SG of that era that makes that point moot.
Greatness has no set position in the NBA.
Not to get all philosophical here, but it does bring up the question of whether the HOF talent brought the championships OR whether the championships made the talent look like it belonged in the HOF.
Ha, I was going to mention something like that in my original post—how it’s the nature of the HOF-talent to win (or at least seriously contend).
Which does beg the tautological question … is HOF talent HOF talent because it does what HOF talent does (win rings).
@phnxdark
Forget about position for a second. LBJ, in reality, is a point guard in the sense that he orchestrates the offense and often the defense too. Leonard had Duncan, Parker and Pop and just needed to play the game. When he went to Toronto and Durant to GSW they didn’t have to be vocal leaders. Raptors had Lowry and Durant had Green, Iggy and battle tested title winning stars in Curry and Klay. Neither had to play the role of vocal leader. Instead they were hired guns and led by actions.
Plenty of ways to skin a cat but historical data actually leads to Pg’s having the least impact on winning championships
I feel that will gear more towards Centers now naturally –
Wings aren’t going anywhere for a long time, its their defensive switch-ability that gives them so much hidden value, forget the offence
Agree with @hiflew. At least when the issue at hand concerns the team’s on court strategy or tactics. You’d think the players would WANT their handpicked HC to have some input in the degree to which the stars should move the ball. Not just tell him what they decided later.
There is no indication they decided anything in the players-only, inddeed, Woj thought it could just as well leave the team more divided… reason being: Umoka already decided Tatum and Brown were the important ones. Smart is just throwing himself under the bus!
After Udoka was introduced, I posted something that I find out was wrong and kind of apologized. But maybe I had it right the first impression. He officially mentioned Tatum, Brown & Smart, but Smart was added later I think for lockerroom politics reasons. His first mention was just Tatum & Brown if I recall. Anyway I said that at the time.
If Udoka gets firmer, It would be to oust Smart. The Udoka plan IS to do what Smart complains about. He’s not in the program and knows it.
There’s been a stench coming from Boston for a few years now.
By process of elimination, given the roster and coaching turnover, it seems like it’s coming from some combination of Smart, Tatum, and Brown.
My guess is Smart will be the element of the process to be eliminated.
Something is rotten in the state of Massachusetts.
They sucked tonight against Orlando this team isn’t going anywhere good hell it’s not even a team it’s 15 guys playing for themselves mainly 3 guys
Wouldn’t be the first team in NBA history where the players immediately check their scoring stats after a game…
Smart was right. Better to do it now than later on in season. Celtics should be top 4 in East. This team is built around Jalen and Jayson. So they should be sharing the ball. To me the jury is still out on Udoka. I’d give it half a year before really criticizing. East is much deeper this year.
Smart is right.
But, at the same time can you blame Tatum and brown.
The celtics “Achilles heel” has been that they have no offensive identity. Therefore, it’s turned into Tatum/Brown ball.
Maybe they’ve gotten used to that sadly. Idk what Udoka’s offensive game plan is either.
Still trash
If the Celtic’s starters play poor basketball, things get even worse when you take a look at their bench.
In theory they should pass more but when you look at the team besides Tatum and Brown, I am not sure who they should be passing to.
not Marcus. dude is so inconsistent. has one good game, and thinks he has it all figured out and chucks up bad 3s for a week straight
Other than Tatum and Brown, who is there that have any real trade value. Celts going nowhere and should just clean house.
I would trade either Brown or Tatum and blow it up. Both of those guys have extremely high value right now, and for whatever reason they don’t work well together.
Udoka has to try to play Brown has PG, Tatum is mostly just shooting 3 also trade Schroeder for Dragic
This early in the season and already having a players only meeting… not a good sign
Tatum has great talent but he’ll never be a great player…trade him rebuild
Geez lols it’s been EIGHT (8) games …..
Celtics are 3 – 5
Sixers are 6 – 2
Wizards are 5 – 3
Cavs are 5-4
OK so chill it’s still early. Give them half a year. Before you trash them. I don’t even like the Celtics.
Celts are doing ok, in spite of rocky start.
Coach is doing ok getting to know players & build a team style & identity.
Yes, Tatum is lost right now trying to play differently 4 THE TEAM but will find his way.
Patience! Cut them some slack.
I’ve never thought Tatum was a good leader. I recall agreeing with cesc/ el Don on this, that he gets overrated. Then it amounts to, Brown is just more Tatum. The Celtics kept trading away their heart-and-soul types, took that aspect for granted.
Smart was never at the level that Celtic fans thought adequate. I think he mostly just gets beat up too much; in theory, fixable, but did not get fixed.